Will Batson

Mike Tomlin explains why exceptional people should not be forced into conventional systems. “When you coach unique guys, they rewrite convention and rules in terms of how you coach.” “Whenever you have unique players, whenever you have great players, you’re learning from them.” “You’re applying the things that they do naturally, that they can’t articulate, and you try to teach others.” “You’d be negligent not to take something from a great player.” “A great player comes and says, ‘I’m going to do this.’ No, don’t do that? Dude, you’re not on the field! He’s on the field!” “They might not even be able to articulate how or why they do it. That’s what makes them who they are.” “I was so young in coaching that I just wasn’t resistant.” “When Lynch would do something freaky, it was, ‘What were you thinking there? What were you looking at? How can we make that a new rule? How can I teach that?’” “I was around these unique dudes at an early age that created this give-and-take and this openness in me that I’ve carried with me forever.”